1.
Introduction
What is a relative clause?
A relative clause gives additional information about a noun or
pronoun (often used in proverbs) in a sentence. It usually begins
with a relative pronoun (who, which, that, whose, where, when) and
functions to describe or provide more details about the noun it
follows.
The man is my neighbor. He drives a red car.
"The man who drives a red car is my neighbor."
The laptop is very expensive. I bought it last year.
"The laptop that I bought last year is very expensive."
The restaurant was closed. We wanted to eat there.
"The restaurant where we wanted to eat was closed."
Relative pronouns:
Who – Refers to people. Example: "The woman who lives next
door is a doctor.»
Whom – Refers to people (used as the object of the verb or
preposition). Example: "The person whom you called is my
friend.»
Whose – Shows possession, referring to people, animals, or things.
Example: "The student whose phone rang was embarrassed.»
Which – Refers to animals, things, or ideas. Example: "The book
which I borrowed is fascinating.»
That – Refers to people, animals, or things, typically in defining
relative clauses. Example: "The car that I want to buy is
expensive.»
Where – Refers to places. Example: "This is the park where we first
met.»
When – Refers to times. Example: "I remember the day when we
graduated.»
Why – Refers to reasons. Example: "The reason why I left is
personal."
Exercise
1. She’s the woman ______ helped me yesterday. who
2. This is the car ______ I want to buy. that
3. I visited the city ______ you were born. where
4. Do you remember the day ______ we went to the beach? when
5. This is the house ______ garden is full of flowers. whose
6. That’s the school ______ I studied as a child. where
7. The person ______ I spoke to was very helpful. whom
8. The phone ______ I bought last month is broken. that
9. He’s the man ______ I told you about. whom
10. The woman ______ handbag was stolen called the police.
There are two types of relative clauses:
Defining Relative Clauses, provide essential information that
helps to define or identify the noun.
Example: "The book that you gave me is very interesting." (The
relative clause tells us which book.)
Non-Defining Relative Clauses, provide extra, non-essential
information about the noun, and they are set off by commas.
Example: "My brother, who lives in İstanbul, is coming to visit."
(The relative clause gives extra information, but you already
know who my brother is.)
1. Defining Relative Clause:
These clauses provide essential information that
defines or identifies the subject of the sentence.
Without them, the sentence may be incomplete or lack
important details.
Defining relative clauses identify or narrow down the
subject.
They are necessary for the sentence to make sense or to
understand who/what is being referred to.
No commas are used because the information is
essential.
The relative pronoun can be omitted if it functions as the
object of the clause.
Imagine you’re at a party, and someone says: 'The man
who is wearing a blue shirt is my friend.'"
In this case, the information "who is wearing a blue
shirt" is essential for you to know which man they are
talking about. Without it, you wouldn’t know who their
friend is, especially if there are many men at the party.
2. Non-defining relative clause
These clauses provide extra, non-essential information
about the subject. The sentence would still make sense
without them. They are like bonus facts that are not
necessary to identify the subject.
Non-defining relative clauses add extra information
that’s interesting or helpful but not essential.
These clauses are always separated by commas.
The sentence would be complete and make sense even
without the clause.
The relative pronoun cannot be omitted because it is
essential for connecting the clause to the main sentence.
Imagine you’re at the school, and someone says: 'John,
who is wearing a blue shirt, is my friend.'
In this case, you already know John. The information
"who is wearing a blue shirt" is just an extra detail that
doesn’t change the fact that John is their friend. If you
remove the clause, the sentence would still make sense:
"John is my friend."
Defining R. Clause:
The man | who is wearing glasses | is my teacher.
"who is wearing glasses" is like a zoom lens that narrows the focus to a
specific person (among many men).
The sentence "The man is my teacher" would leave us wondering, "Which
man?»
Non-Defining R. Clause:
My teacher, | who is wearing glasses, | is very kind.
Here, you already know who the teacher is, and "who is wearing glasses" is
just a side fact, like a note in the margin.
The sentence "My teacher is very kind" still makes perfect sense. The clause
is just extra.
Identify and correct the mistakes
The woman, that is standing by the door, is my friend.
This is the book that I told you about it.
The man, whose his car was stolen, is very upset.
Paris, that is the capital of France, is a beautiful city.
The restaurant which we went last week is closed now.
The house which is next to the park is very expensive.
This is the city that I was born.
Fill in the gaps with the correct relative pronoun and determine
whether the clause is defining or non defining
The teacher __________ teaches math is very strict. Who-D
My brother, __________ lives in Canada, is visiting us
next week. Who-ND
I remember the day __________ we first met at the party.
When-D
The book __________ I borrowed from the library is due
tomorrow. That-D
Sarah, __________ is my best friend, is an excellent cook.
Who-ND
This is the restaurant __________ we had dinner last night.
Where-D
The car, __________ I just bought, is already having
problems. That-D
The artist __________ painted this mural is very talented.
Who-D
The city __________ I was born is famous for its history.
Where-D
The movie __________ we watched last weekend was
really entertaining. That-D
Homework
Write a paragraph about a person you admire. Use at least three
relative clauses to describe them. Be sure to use a mix of defining
and non-defining clauses.
